Difference between revisions of "Takasia"

Latest revision as of 14:28, 13 February 2008

The Kingdom of Takasia is a small nation in the Arctic region of Taijitu. It is situated on a peninsula called "the Horn of O", the north-westernmost corner of the continent O.

The peninsula was sparely populated by feudal lords active in the region before the Union of Takasia was founded. Immigrants started flocking in, starting in the 1990's, and is currently the vast majority of Takasia. It did not only make Takasia one of the most cosmopolitan nation in Taijitu, but also a bustling trading post in the area.

On 13th April 2007, The Union of Takasia became the Kingdom of Takasia, with King Takas I (Vladimir Pabosky) as the monarch.

With the Arveo Development Act in effect from May 2007, Arveoli has become part of the kingdom.

History

As in the area in Northwestern O, the "Horn of O", where Takasia is located, were all feudal lords. One of them being the Pabosky's, which roughly own the current land of Takasia. There were no organized government as of now, as the land was not particularly welcoming.

When Talstadt was founded, the Pabosky's did not join the union. The union of Takasia was formed, promoting free trade. At that time, there were only two government functions: security and trade facilitation. Following this came the influx of immigrants who came to the abandoned land for fortunes in the early 1990's.

On 13th April 2007, Vladimir Pabosky declared the founding of the Kingdom of Takasia. The monachy vowed to continue to maintain the free trade environment and peace of the area.

Politics and Government

The Pabosky family has been the head of Takasia for more than a century. However, Takasia was not governed by the central government, until an influx of immigration since the early 1990s. There is limited democracy at district and provincial level.

The current head of state is King Takas I (Vladimir Pabosky). The government is kept small profile, with minimal involvement in promoting trade and provide subsistencial assistant to the needy.

The central government is formed by the advisory court, with heads of various functions appointed by the King. There are currently six advisory functions in the central government:

• Finance - revenues, expenditure and investment (RTF) of the central government
• Internal Affairs - legislation body
• Foreign Relations - International Relations
• Commerce and Trade - Commerce and Trade Promotion; Transportation and other infrastructure
• Social Wellness - Health care, Education, Welfare, Environment, and other issues
• National Security - defense and intelligence of Takasia

Foreign Policy and Military

Takasia tends to foster close relations with its neighbours. With the participation of Talstadt in the TITAN alliance, Takasia has joined the alliance as well. Takasia is also a founding member of Tagshknet Cooperation Forums.

The Kingdom maintains a relatively small, yet modernly equipped defence force (the Royal Armed Forces). There is no distinct division between army, navy and air force. Instead, every recruit will go through standard navy training, before they specialize into other positions. The navy, as a tradition, has emphasized to safeguard the country's long coast line.

In addition to the Royal Armed Forces, there are also privatized defense forces for different parts of Takasia. They are an integral part to the defense of the kingdom.

For the current equipment of the Royal Armed Force, please refer here.

Administrative Divisions

Takasia is divided into 12 provinces and 1 municipality (St. Takasburg). Each province are subdivided into districts, named after the main city in the district. (Map)

Geography and Climate

Takasia comprises of the "Horn of O" and islands west of Takasia Bay. The rugged coastline stretches over 7,000km from north to south on both east and west coasts of the peninsula. Takasia shares abou 1,500km border with Talstadt and U.S.S.C.F. in the south and southeast. In the west, Takasia is bordered by Trouthind Strait; and in the east, the North Sea and the Sconian Gulf. The Takasia Bay lies between the Peninsula and the islands of Goatland-Alland.

Arveoli occupies about 120,000km² on the other side of Takasian Channel. The Takasian Channel , the Mediterranean Sea and the Canal Arveo borders its east, west and south respectively, while it shares borders with Tagirstan and Feniexia in the north and northwest respectively.

Most of Takasia (including Arveoli) experiences oceanic cliamate, with four distinct seasons. The northernmost Takasia (Norcape district), on the other hand, has an arctic tundra climate.

There are large seasonal variations in daylight. In areas in the far North such as Norcape and Burgen, the summer sun may never completely descend beneath the horizon, hence Takasia's description as the "Land of the Midnight Sun."

Demographics

Population

The growth rate of Takasia is very high, mainly due to immigrants from different parts of Taijitu. On 1st May 2007, the population has hit 50 million.

Ethnicity

There is no single large ethnic group in Takasia. There are more than 2,000 races in Takasia, making the nation one of the most cosmopolitan in the city. Schools and offices often see smorgasbord of different races (photo). The same holds true for government positions too. While there is not any significant ethnic group in the nation, ethnic tension is unheard of.

Religion

Takasia is also a multi-religion country. While many of Takasians are atheist, there are following for religions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Paganism, Judaism and even Phoenism, Tendau and Ectoplasm.

Languages

The lingua franca of Takasia is English. English is used in the government and trade. However, just as there are many races, there are many languages spoken in Takasia.

Economy

Tertiary Industries

Takasia maintains a highly capitalistic economy built on a policy of free market, low taxation and government non-intervention. Takasia is well regarded as one of the most business-friendly economies in Taijitu. The nation also enjoys great economic freedom. Many multinational companies established their regional headquarters in Takasia, with many foreign nationals working in the kingdom.

Takasia is a popular travel destination, making tourism one of its largest industries. The tourist sector is further boosted by the nation's huge gambling and sex industries. Other important service industries include shipping and transportation, banking and finance.

Secondary Industries

Takasia companies venture mostly in heavy industries. Ship building in three major shipyards, namely Vladivalstalk, Alland and Stinkapore Shipyards, are some of the major exports of the kingdom. Commercial and military aircraft building in Takasia is dominated by Aerobuzz Industries based in Toadloose. Other manufacturing sectors include steel in Mustcover, and missile and arms near Poonyoung.

Primary Industries

Fishing is the most important primary industy in Takasia, with oil extraction and refinery comes as a close second. There are also copper and iron mining in Norland and Upland, and uranium mining in the southern province of Yamland. There are also some small scale argriculture in the south and Arveoli, notably the tabacco plantation in Alland Minor.

A map of resouirces can be found here.

Media

Takasia has some of the freeest media in Taijitu. With the exception of Agence Takasie Presse, the official yet independent news agency of Takasia, there is no government participation in Takasia's media industry.

There is zero censorship in Takasia. Even sexual and violence contents are readily shown in cinemas and television channels. Such attitude towards the media has often brought the country under international spotlight. The Sun, a Takasian tabloid infamous for its sensational contents, is one of the most popular paper in Taijitu.

Education

With 100% literacy rate, Takasians rank among the most educated in Taijitu.

Education is free but not compulsory for citizens from kindergarten to college. Even though enrollment is voluntary, almost all Takasians went through the education systems until secondary school.

Most Takasians are multilingual, as it is necessary in multicultural Takasia and is promoted in schools since kindergarten level. There is no paricular emphasis in the education system, and most student can choose whichever they want to pursue.

Transport

A detailed transportation map of Takasia can be found here.

Road

Takasia is welled-connected by highways and expressways, all privately-owned. While the network is extensive, the tolls have long been complained as "prohibitive". As such, roads are generally underused. No speed limit is applied to such roads.

Rail

Takasia has an extensive railroad network, run by four different companies. With the exception of RAIL, all companies are wholly Takasian-owned.

Die Bahn is the first rail company of Takasia. It primarily services the west coast of the peninsula by high-speed ICE trains. It is also the operator of the maglev services between St. Takasburg city and St. Takasburg-Paahaa International Airport, the first maglev service in Takasia.

SNCF provides rail services primarily on the east coast of the peninsula, up notth to Norcape. Their TGV trains are the fastest trains running on conventional tracks.

RENFE provides reliable services in the southern part of the peninsula. RENFE is the only company to refund 100% of the ticket cost if its AVE train arrives its destination more than 5 minutes behind schedule. It also own 52% of RAIL.

RAIL stands for Rail Arveoli (International) Limited. It runs services from Milanou of Arveoli northward to Tagirstan and southward to New History lovers respectively. The CGV Takasia trains were designed by the New Delfos, with maximum running speed exceeding 500 km/h. It is the only joint-venture providing rail services in Takasia. It is 52% owned by RENFE, and 48% by CGV Internaional.

Sea

Canals

The Canal Takasia cuts the peninsula from St. Takasburg to Munching. The 260-km canal connects the Takasburger Straits and Sconian Gulf, providing water connection between the west coast and east coast of the peninsula.

The Canal Arveo is a 350-km waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea and Trouthind Channel. The ports at the ends of the canal, Milanou and Venezea, are bustling due to the booming trade since the canal completion.

Ports

A vast majority of Takasian cities are also ports. While the bigger ports handle high volume of cargoes, every port provide high-speed ferry services. They are a very popular means of transport along the coasts, and across the seas to Arveoli (Venezea), Tagirstan, and St Oz.

Air

Takasia has 12 international airports, while all major cities have city airports for private jet and air taxi services.

While Takasair is the de facto flag carrier of Takasia, there are plenty of competitor running international routes. There are few scheduled domestic flights, except for very long distances or between the peninsula and Arveoli. Shorter distance flights are usually covered by the ubiquitous and affordable air taxi services. Such services are also used as fast connections to the international airports.

External Links

• Takasia on NationStates
• Agence Takasie Presse (News)
• Factbook